Today

Today I had hoped to wake up to a world where we had not only elected the first female president, but to a world where we as a nation proved that decency was still the order of the day.  Instead I woke up to a world where hate and fear triumphed.  I’m not upset that the candidate that I voted for lost, that’s actually minor compared to the bigger issue.  I’m sad that I can no longer say to the people that I work with who are here on visas that America stands for justice and equality.  I have a 5 year old nephew, who I fear will now grow up in an America where angry mobs rule, which is what happened yesterday.  Where people who are handicapped are made fun of; where people that have a different color to their skin are villainized; where women are objectified.

As a nation, we have failed.  We have failed to stand for those among us that are different.  And while they may be different than me, they were still made in the image of God. 

We have failed to learn from history.  The irony is not lost on me that the person who sounded a lot like Hitler did won election on the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch.

I had hoped to wake up to a world where intellect and decency trumped hate.  Unfortunately, I woke up to a world where hate won.

Weight loss - Almost to the Finish Line

At the beginning of 2015 I decided to work on trying to lose weight.  At that point I was wearing a size 16, and they were starting to get a little snug.  My goal was to get to a size 8 by September 2015.  Well, I made the original goal and then kept right on going.  I’ve currently lost about 75 pounds and now wear either a 0 or a 2 in clothes.  The cancer treatments did slow my progress down a bit, but all in all, didn’t affect it too much.

There wasn’t any kind of magical pill, or special diet plan, it was hard work and a major lifestyle change.  I’ve had to relearn how to eat, what foods are good for me, and what foods I need to either avoid, or to have only in moderation.  Basically, I count calories.  I base my decisions on what I’m going to eat by how many calories something has.  And let me tell you, when I was starting out, I was really surprised by some of the foods that were high in calories.  I also have a Garmin VivoFit that I wear all of the time.  It keeps track of my activity level and I can “earn” extra calories with it.  Right now I net between 1200 and 1280 calories a day.

A couple of things that I’ve learned through this journey

• Rice is really high in calories
• Have a plan in place for when the munchies strike
• Baby carrots fill you up, without a lot of calories (just make sure to skip the dip)
• While I can wear clothes a size too big, once they are two sizes too big they don’t look so good J
• You can’t exercise your way to losing weight – you have to change your eating habits
• Once you hit your final weight you can’t go back to eating the way you used to or you will gain it back.
• Make sure to provide room in your daily calories for fun stuff like cookies.

I am just about done with the weight-loss and will be transitioning to maintenance, probably during fall.  That’s going to be a whole different adventure and learning curve.

Web Wanderings #2

A collection of interesting bits that I've stumbled upon while wandering the web.

Mindfulness

In this crazy age of body shaming and obsessions with all things celebrity, here's a great post from Jennifer Aniston.

Organization

The Pomodoro Technique is a way of organizing your time in chunks of 25 minutes, eliminating distractions, and rewarding yourself with short breaks.

Travel

Last spring, Jim and I went to Nashville on vacation.  What we found there were some great, unique, neighborhoods throughout the city that were so much fun to explore.  Our two favorites were the Gulch and 12South.  Read about all of the different neighborhoods here.

Fashion

It may be summer, but we still have to dress up for work.  Here's some ways to pull off a t-shirt at the office to at least be a bit more comfortable.

Food

First the US had the Food Pyramid, now we have the Plate to tell us how we should eat.  Personally, I like the idea of a spinning top, and that's exactly how Japan does their guidelines.  and they seem to know a bit about how to eat - their rate of obesity is just  3.6 percent of adults (compared to 32 percent of Americans) and they have the longest life expectancy.

Orzo Salad with Mushrooms and Feta

Maybe it's because it is summertime, but for whatever reason I have been craving pasta salad lately.

 Unfortunately, pasta isn't the lowest calorie dish.  The other week for lunch I decided to make a pasta salad with a combination or orzo and chopped, steamed cauliflower.  It gave me enough pasta to satisfy my craving, and the cauliflower gave it the added bulk, without the calories.  Feta cheese and sauteed baby bella mushrooms provided the protein, while cucumbers and green pepper provided the crunch.





Orzo Salad with Mushrooms and Feta

4 oz orzo pasta
1 pound cauliflower florets, steamed and chopped
1 cucumber seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
4 Tablespoons Feta cheese
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette (I used Ken's)

Cook pasta according to package directions and steam cauliflower until tender.

While they are cooking heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the mushrooms.  When mushrooms, cauliflower and pasta are cooked and allowed to cool, combine all of the ingredients except the Feta cheese.  I ended up using 4 Tablespoons of the vinaigrette, but you can use more.  Top with Feta cheese.

Exercising Post Surgery

Even though I am recovering from surgery it is still important to me to stay active and to keep my weight-loss momentum going (I’m almost to my goal).  Fitness walking is allowing me to do just that.

I am still restricted in what I am allowed to do, but I am allowed to briskly walk.  One of the issues that I have though, is keeping to a good pace.  That’s why I’ve been using the Leslie SansoneWalk at Home DVDs.  I am doing them every day while I am recovering.  Granted, I can’t do some of the moves, but it keeps me active and it’s still fun to do.  

Even when I’m not recovering from surgery, I still use them.  Sunday is my day to do a workout that isn’t as heavy on toning as some of my others and these really fit the bill.

The one that I tend to do the most is the 4-mile Power Walk.  One of the things that I like best about this DVD is that I can do the whole 4 miles, or I can do either a 2 mile Power Walk or a 2 Mile Classic Walk.  I also have the 5 Mega Mile one, but that is harder to modify, at least for me.  Another one that I’m considering getting is Walking Off the Pounds.

This post is not sponsored by Leslie Sansone or Walk at Home and I did not receive any compensation.  All opinions are strictly my own.

Web Wanderings #1

A collection of interesting bits that I've stumbled upon while wandering the web.

Organization 
One thing that I've been seeing a lot about on the web is Bullet Journals.  At first it seemed like a pretty complicated system, but after a little reading, it seems like it would be a pretty easy system to use.  I doubt that I'll use it, I'm kinda partial to my planner.  Have any of you heard of it?  Anyone using one?  If you want to read more about it, here's an article from the LA Times.

Travel

Watergate is back, but not as a scandal.  I think that it would be kind of cool to stay here.

Food
Even though I'm someone who tries to eat a healthy diet with lots of vegetables, I still found David H. Freedman's article in The Atlantic titled, "How Junk Food Can End Obesity," to be extremely interesting

Fashion
If you're looking for great summer dresses that won't break the bank, here are 20 dresses for under $50.

Current Events
The US isn't the only country getting ready to elect a new leader.  In the wake of the Brexit vote, The UK is going to have a new prime minister, and it's going to be a woman.

Mindfulness
We try and keep Sunday nights free and clear so that we can have a relaxing evening in order to prepare for the upcoming week.  Making Sunday evenings special goes a long way to keeping the Sunday evening blues at bay.  Elsie at Richly Rooted has some other suggestions for dealing with them.

Summer Dresses - Halter Swing Dress

With the weight loss (which is a post for another day), I can finally wear dresses confidently.  So this year I been on the lookout for nice summery dresses.  One of the styles that I'm really liking is the Swing Dress, especially ones that are a halter bodice.

One of the things that is great about this style of dress is that it can be casual pared with a flat or even flip flops, it can be dressy with heals, and with the addition of a cardigan, it would be great for the office.

The other great thing about these dresses is that you can find them at various price points.

I came across this one at Anthropologie.  I really love the color of it.

Anthropologie Swiss Dot Halter Dress

Another one that I like, and actually the one that I bought is this one from Old Navy.

Old Navy Halter Swing Dress for Women

It's very similar to the first one, but at a much better price, which is great if you want to shop the trend, but don't have a huge budget to work with.